The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has announced that Prasoon Joshi has been named the recipient of the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award for 2025, the advertising industry’s highest individual honour.
Instituted in 1988, the award has been presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to Indian advertising and shaped industry practice. Joshi, currently CEO and CCO of McCann Worldgroup India and Chairman, Asia Pacific, has been recognised for a body of work that has spanned nearly three decades and influenced both Indian advertising and popular culture. His contributions to cinema as a lyricist and screenwriter have also earned national and international acclaim.
AAAI has stated that the award will be formally presented at a ceremony in the coming weeks. Past recipients have included Subhas Ghosal, Alyque Padamsee, Mike Khanna, R K Swamy, Piyush Pandey, Sam Balsara, Prem Mehta, Srinivasan Swamy, Ramesh Narayan, Roda Mehta, Ram Sehgal, Madhukar Kamath, Arvind Sharma, Colvyn Harris, Shashi Sinha and Vikram Sakhuja, among others.
Speaking on the announcement, Srinivasan K Swamy, President, AAAI, said,“Prasoon Joshi stands tall as one of the most inspiring creative minds of our times. His ability to blend insight, emotion, and cultural context into powerful storytelling has made a difference to Indian advertising at the global stage. The AAAI is happy to honour a professional whose work has not only elevated brands but also enriched society’s creative conscience.”
Jaydeep Gandhi, Chairman of the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award Committee, added, “Prasoon Joshi’s journey is a masterclass in the power of ideas and integrity in creativity. His work reflects a rare balance of commercial success and artistic sensitivity. The Committee members were unanimous in their choice to recognise Prasoon with this honour.”
